GD Toolkit Summary Notes - Lesson 6

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shawacademy
Graphic
Design
LESSON 6
LOGO DESIGN
summarynotes
The Diploma in Graphic Design Toolkit
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S Lesson 6
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S Lesson 6
WE BEGIN WITH THE
“WHAT IS” OF GRAPHIC
DESIGN AND HOW
GRAPHIC DESIGN IS ALL
ABOUT VISUALLY COM-
MUNICATING AN IDEA,
THOUGHT, MESSAGE OR
MEANING BY COMBINING
SYMBOLS, IMAGES AND/
OR WORDS. WE ALSO
GIVE AN OVERVIEW OF
THE “HOLY TRINITY”
OF GRAPHIC DESIGN
APPLICATIONS -
ADOBE PHOTOSHOP,
ILLUSTRATOR &
INDESIGN AND HOW
DESIGNERS BEST USE
THESE TOOLS.
1.01 Understanding Colour 4
1.02 Colour Trends & Codes 6
1.03 Logo Design Process 9
1.04 Logo Design Principles 10

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Understanding Colour
Colour is
the most
influential
element of
our natural
senses,
followed
by Shapes,
Symbols
and lastly
Words.

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Understanding Colour
Colour plays a major part in the correct reflection
of your brand.
Graphic Design is
“the art or
profession of visual
communication that
combines images,
words and ideas to
convey information
to an audience”
Design must
be interpreted
the same way
by everyone
to function.
This visually obvious yet subtle application has a
significant impact on the way a brand is perceived
by the public.
Colour does not discriminate!
No matter if you’re designing a brand for yourself,
a small company, or a corporation the effects of
colour will not discriminate based on how much
cash you have to start.
When looking at colour options for your brand it’s
always best to take a look at other brands to get
a clear idea on how colour schemes play a part on
the perception of brand perception.

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Colour Trends
Colour can
increase brand
recognition
by up to 80%.

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Colour Trends
1.02
Colour Trends
A study of the world’s top 100 brands
(as determined by brand value)
analysed each brand’s logo and found
the following trends.
33% use Blue
29% use Red
27% use Black or Grayscale
11% use Yellow
95% use only 1 or 2 colours
5% use more than 2 colours
41% use text only
9% don’t feature a company name
Colour can increase brand recognition by up to 80%.
This means that colour influences how customers view
the personality of the brand.
Our brains prefer recognisable brands,
which makes colour a key factor in creating
brand identity.

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Colour Codes
As Dainis Graveris has written once, “sketching isn’t time-consuming and is a really
good way to put ideas in your head right on paper. After that, it’s always easier to
actually design it on the computer. Sketching helps to evolve your imagination: once
you understand it, you will always start from just white paper.
Black is used by companies wishing to evoke a classic sophistication and simplicity. Black works
especially well for brands wishing to promote luxury.
Code: Prestige, Value, Timelessness, Sophistication, Formality
Red evokes a passionate and visceral response. It increases your heartrate, makes you breathe
more heavily and activates the pituitary gland.
Code: Aggression, Energy, Proactive-ness, Passion, Power
Yellow communicates hope and optimism. Yellow stimulates creativity and energy, and its
brightness is particularly useful in catching the customer’s eye.
Code: Positivity, Light, Warmth, Creativity, Motivation
Blue is the most common colour used in brand creation. It’s thought to put people at ease.
Code: Trustworthiness, Dependability, Security, Integrity, Calmness
Green is synonymous with calm, freshness and health. With great variance in shades, deeper
greens are associated with affluence, lighter shades with serenity.
Code: Wealth, Health, Serenity, Prestige, Abundance
Purple is a mysterious yet sophisticated colour. The richness of this colour tips its hat to elegance,
a colour used to symbolise royalty throughout history.
Code: Royalty, Sophistication, Nostalgia, Mystery, Spirituality
Pink is a feminine and affectionate colour, that lends itself to identifying products and services
geared towards women and young girls.
Code: Tenderness, Sensitivity, Friendship, Beauty
Orange combines the brightness and cheer of yellow with the energy and boldness of red to make
a colour that is full of life and exudes plenty of excitement.
Code: Vitality, Fun, Playfulness, Exuberance, Youthfulness Compassion

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Misconceptions about Graphic Design
1.03
Logo Design Process
When creating a logo, follow a
process that ensures the final
design meets the needs of the
clients.
Here you see the typical
process that professional logo
designers follow.
With practice, you will develop
your own.
“Some wonder what’s so difficult about creating a good logo. They’re
small, they look easy to do, so no problem, right? When you only see
the result of a designer’s efforts, the logo creation can look like it was
a simple task. But it’s not. A logo takes thought and creativity, and
many elements combine to make a good one.” - Harrison Mcleod
Design Brief - Conduct a questionnaire or interview with the client to
get the design brief.
Research - Conduct research on the industry itself, its history and
competitors. Problem-solve first, design later.
Reference - Conduct research on logo designs that have been
successful and on current styles and trends that may relate to the
design brief. Follow trends not for their own sake but rather to be
aware of them: longevity in logo design is key.
Sketching and Conceptualizing - Develop the logo design
concept(s) around the brief and your research. This is the single most
important part of the design process. Get creative and be inspired.
Reflection - Take breaks throughout the design process. This helps
your ideas mature, renews your enthusiasm and allows you to solicit
feedback. It also gives you a fresh perspective on your work.
Revisions and Positioning - Whether you position yourself as
a contractor (i.e. getting instructions from the client) or build a
long-lasting relationship (i.e. guiding the client to the best solution),
revise and improve the logo as required.
Presentation - Present only your best logo designs to your client.
PDF format usually works best. You may also wish to show the logo
in context, which will help the client more clearly visualize the brand
identity. Preparing a high-quality presentation is the single most
effective way to get your clients to approve your designs.
Delivery and Support - Deliver the appropriate files to the client
and give all support that is needed. Remember to under-promise and
over-deliver.

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Principles of Effective Logo Design
A good logo
is distinctive,
appropriate,
practical, graphic
and simple in
form, and it
conveys the
owner’s intended
message.

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Principles of Effective Logo Design
1.04
Logo Design Principles
Simple Simplicity makes a logo design easily recognizable, versatile and memorable. Good
logos feature something unexpected or unique, without being “overdrawn.”
K.I.S.S. Principle of design, which translates as: Keep It Simple, Stupid. It does convey a very
important design consideration. Simple logos are often easily recognised, incredibly memorable
and the most effective in conveying the requirements of the client.
Memorable Following closely on this principle of simplicity is that of memorability. An
effective logo design should be memorable, which is achieved by keeping it simple yet appropriate.
Timeless An effective logo should be timeless. Will yours stand the test of time? Will it still
be effective in 10, 20 or 50 years?
Versatile An effective logo works across a variety of media and applications. For this
reason, logos should be designed in vector format, to ensure that they scale to any size.
Ask yourself, is your logo still effective if it is printed. In one colour? In reverse colour (i.e. light logo
on dark background)? The size of a postage stamp? As large as a billboard?
One way to create a versatile logo is to begin designing in black and white. This allows you to focus
on the concept and shape, rather than colour, which is subjective in nature. Also keep in mind
printing costs: the more colours you use, the more expensive it will be for the business over the
long term.
Appropriate How you “position” the logo should be appropriate for its intended audience.
For example, a child-like font and colour scheme would be appropriate for a logo for a children’s toy
store, not so much for a law firm.

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